Blog

  1. Cold Snap? Rats!

    It finally got cold again in Austin so rodents and rats are bound to come indoors more often, looking for food and shelter as the outdoor offerings are less available to them. So what are the signs of rats in your home? Here are a few things to keep an eye, ear or noise out for: Urine Odor: Rat urine has a musky odor. You can easily smell it with large infestations. Rub Marks: Oily rub marks are l…Read More

  2. Rodent Noises

    Even though Austin's winter weather has been relatively mild so far, rodents are making their way indoors. One sign of rodent activity is hearing things overhead. The most common location for rodents to scurry is in attics, and they are most active just after nightfall and before dawn. If you do hear things above you, take a moment to go outside first and observe the roof to rule out other situati…Read More

  3. Paper Wasps in Winter

    Wasps and yellow jackets in Austin have been active much later in the season than usual. Typically as the weather cools the queen wasp will overwinter in a protected area, and the remaining colony perishes. This year, perhaps due to a warmer September and October, we have seen many calls for wasps and yellow jackets even into early December. The good news is the recent cold snap may be enough to g…Read More

  4. Fleas On Your Porch and Windows?

    If you see tiny "jumping" bugs on your porch and around your windows, don't panic and think you have a flea invasion! In late fall the culprit is more likely to be hackberry gall psyllids. These tiny pests come from nearby hackberry trees and will congregate on home siding and window screens. Here's a more in-depth article we wrote about them. The bottom line is that these are likely not fleas and…Read More

  5. Indoor Gnats

    Getting an infestation of small gnats is annoying, but trying to solve it with pest control services can be disappointing if you don't first handle the source of the issue. The same way that trash and food can attract pests, you have to handle the reason the gnats keep coming before trying to just eliminate them. In many cases this is some sort of organic material they live and breed in, such as t…Read More

  6. What is a Pest? What is Pest Control?

    Exterminators are hit with a few jokes from customers each pest season, the most common being a request to take care of an unwanted and unexpected "pest" like a sulky teenager or a loud, poorly trained dog that eats slippers and jumps on guests. Silly stuff. Except, maybe those actually are pests? The word pest simply means "a destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food, livestock,…Read More

  7. Rat Extermination in Austin

    There are two primary methods to handle rats: extermination or trapping. We use the extermination method because it is faster, more cost-efficient and more reliable in helping homeowners get rid of their rat or mouse problem. Ours is a two-part process: Our technician arrives on site and we inspect and place bait as needed. Our technician also does a house inspection to find any areas 1/4 inch or …Read More

  8. Moving Plants Inside Can Bring In Gnats

    As it gets colder in Austin many homeowners move their plants inside. It's good for the plants, but you may see more gnats inside as a result! Fungus gnats are also called soil gnats. The larvae eat soil roots and fungi in the soil. Here are a few ways to get rid of them: Let the soil dry out if possible. This will kill off the larvae and discourage adults from laying new eggs. Use water and mild …Read More

  9. More About German Roaches

    German roach activity around Austin has seen an uptick lately. Here is some more information about these pests: Unlike American roaches (aka tree roaches, waterbugs, palmetto bugs, "big roaches) the German roach doesn't live outside and wander in. It's an indoor roach and is most often found in multi-resident communities like apartments, duplexes, quads, etc. They can get into voids and wall space…Read More

  10. Handling Pantry Pests

    Opening a package or seeing pests crawl around your food is a worst-case scenario for most homeowners. With pests like pantry moths and flour beetles the first step is always finding and removing the source and then handling the conducive environment. This means removing all food and grain packages from your pantry to thoroughly inspect them, then throwing away any that are infested. Other than th…Read More